Welsh Corgi dog

What's my history?

Bore da boyo, I’m from the valleys I am. That’s Way-als if you don’t know, land of good rugby, funny sounding place names and, of course, lots of sheep. And it’s those sheep that I was bred to herd you see, amongst other things like geese and cattle. A bit bossy we are. Anyway, I should tell you about our history. We go way back to the time of the Vikings! Bit mental they were. Went around killing people and setting fire to their houses and stuff. We didn’t do any of that. There are two different varieties of Corgi – one is from Pembrokeshire and the other from Cardigan. In 1934 the Kennel Club, in their infinite wisdom, separated us out into two breeds. And the rivalry has stuck ever since, so it has. But I suppose I can’t talk about our history and not mention our most famous owner. Helen Mirren.

What do I look like?

If you’ve seen us on the TV then you have probably seen us running around a big garden. We’re not the biggest and we come with shorter legs than we would prefer, if we’re being honest. You see, the reason why we’re vertically challenged is so that we can avoid being kicked by them cows. Don’t be fooled mind you, we are a good runner and an excellent herder. Trouble is, those daft Collie’s have got in on the act and stolen our territory in Wales. I suppose you might say our head is a bit fox like. We come in combined colours of red, black, tan, fawn and sable. But what is probably most apparent is ears. Just like our Prince, you could say they are a bit on the large side. But the Pembrokeshire Corgi dog has smaller ears than the Cardigan. We’re a bit shorter too. You might have guessed I’m a Pembrokeshire, but my best friend Barry – he’s a Cardigan. His ears are huge, much bigger than mine! There are three well known faults in Corgis -”bluies”, “fluffies” and “whities”. They take some explaining, but in bluies, the colour is diluted, fluffies have longer hair and whities are white in parts they are not supposed to be white. Not their fault really is it, but you need to avoid them if you want to put us in the show ring.

What do I need from you?

Royal family memorabilia around the house will make us feel at home – we’re big fans. We love the family life so involve us in all your fun and games. We are quite happy to live in any kind of home really, even those without a garden. We do need a good amount of exercise though. We have a triple coat which means we can shed regularly. We’ll need some regular combing but don’t get easily tangled as our coat is of medium length. We are getting a bit low in numbers mind you so you could tell all your friends how great we are! Or start a ‘Register a Corgi’ campaign…

What I will give in return

We love our owners so be prepared to be followed around. The Corgi dog is ranked as the 11th most intelligent dog which is great for you because it means we are easily trained and very obedient. We’re a super watchdog too so we’ll keep a good lookout for all sorts of intruders. Our herding instincts never leave us so if you have any livestock just let us at ‘em. We might nip humans’ ankles in our early days – that’s our herding instinct coming out. We are generally good around children but not always so good with other dogs. In fact some of us, like my friend Barry, insist on being the only dog in the house.

How big will I get?

A Corgi dog will grow to about 10-12in (25-30cm) and weight between 20-26lb (9-12kg). We love to eat mind you so we can easily grow beyond our means!

How long will I be around for?

We live for between 12-15 years.

Famous owners?

You’ve probably seen us at the Palace. Her Majesty is our biggest fan. We’ve been in the Royal family for two generations now. Another beautiful lady owns one of us – Jennifer Aniston, an American movie star!

Want us to live with you?

Our own special community

Disclaimer: the views expressed on this page and any comments below are only a guide to typical traits and views on the breed. Individual circumstance and traits will always vary so we can be in no way responsible for any of the information provided.